Working across a range of mixed media, Hooker combines charcoal, ink, tea, acrylic, collage, spray paint, and oil to construct paintings that balance delicacy with intensity. Her visual language often moves between realism and abstraction, allowing emotion and intuition to guide the composition.

Portraiture remains central to her practice. Through faces, gestures, and symbolic forms, her work explores personal stories, emotional presence, and the quiet resonance carried within human expression. Nature and color frequently appear as surrounding elements, creating dreamlike environments that hold both stillness and movement.

Her approach to painting is rooted in daily practice and observation. Working consistently from her home studio, she develops works that reflect sensitivity to mood, memory, and the subtle psychological spaces that exist beneath outward appearances.

One of the significant projects within her career was the commission of twelve portrait murals for the Elders and Women of the Waminda Aboriginal Women's Health Centre in Nowra, New South Wales, completed between 2018 and 2019. This project reflected her continued interest in storytelling, identity, and human connection through portraiture.

Hooker’s work has reached audiences internationally, with paintings held and exhibited across the United States, New Zealand, Canada, and England. Across each body of work, there remains a consistent focus on emotion, presence, and the transformative possibilities of image-making.

Practice:

• Mixed media painting and portraiture
• Works incorporating charcoal, ink, tea, acrylic, collage, spray paint, and oils
• Studio practice based in Tuncurry, New South Wales, Australia

Selected Projects:

• Commissioned portrait murals for the Elders and Women of Waminda Aboriginal Women's Health Centre, Nowra, NSW, 2018–2019

Collections and Reach:

• Works collected and exhibited in the USA, New Zealand, Canada, and England

→ View Leigh Hooker's Works